Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013)

So, I've reviewed a handful of Call of Duty titles by now, and I've had a great time doing it. World at War was a dark, grim portrayal of WWII that was really good. Black Ops was a Cold War thrill and the Modern Warfare trilogy was an action-movie extravaganza.

Now, there are four other titles in the series that I'm interested in:

• Black Ops 2
• Black Ops 3
• Advanced Warfare
• Infinite Warfare

Unfortunately, these aren't in my Steam library yet so you guys will just have to be patient...what? CoD titles aren't cheap in South Africa, guys and gals! Anyways, let's get on with it - this is Call of Duty: Ghosts!

Going Ghost: Call of Duty 10

Development for Ghosts started out soon after 2012's Black Ops 2. This game was the tenth entry in the series, and it was Infinity Ward's sixth entry.

Call of Duty: Ghosts was released for PC and consoles in November of 2013. The game got a somewhat mixed reception upon release.

Praise was levelled at both the campaign and the gameplay. Of course, there was also criticism levelled at the gameplay - especially in retrospective reviews - with it frequently being underwhelming

The Story: A Post-Apocalyptic Thrill Ride

In the far future, the world has undergone significant changes. The oil-producing countries in South America have united to form the Federation of the Americas as a military dictatorship. Years after that, the Federation captures a special American space weapon called ODIN. This weapon causes absolute havoc and destroys much of San Diego and the US in general.

10 years later, the war has been bloody, and it's been fought to a stalemate. A special unit called the Ghosts is deployed to fight the Federation forces.

What did I Like about Ghosts?

So...what works in the tenth CoD? Well, here's what I liked.

• The visuals are absolutely gorgeous! That's not an exaggeration; the graphics look really good. Likewise, the music is also really, really cool.
• The story is well-written and action-packed. It's a very cinematic game.
• Combat and shooting mechanics are really satisfying. The guns sound real and heavy, and I love it. The environmental damage is also great, your rounds punch through specific things - wood doors, thin sheet steel, and so on.
• The voice acting is great.
• You can play as a German Shepherd named Riley. Yes, you get to play as a dog occasionally. I'm a huge animal lover and have grown up with dogs, so traveling with a big, goofy German Shepherd is just very cool.
• The backstory for the Ghosts is really, really cool. Basically, a group of soldiers is working in the Middle East and is vastly outnumbered. Out of sheer desperation, the guys who survive bury themselves in the sand and pick off their enemies under the cover of a sandstorm. There was a single survivor who'd gone kinda bonkers from the trauma. These men became known as the Ghosts. Seriously, how cool is that backstory?

Was there Anything I didn't Like?

Not really. If I had to point at something, it would probably be the ending. It's very grim, which fits the tone of the game nicely; it's just very confusing...to me, at least.

Otherwise, it's more of the same stuff from the Call of Duty games. Ten games of the same formula might bore some players. Personally, I like it, but I have to admit that not everyone is going to enjoy it beyond one or two entries.

Is Ghosts worth your Time?

So, here's the proverbial million-dollar question: Is Call of Duty: Ghosts worth your time? Yep, I'd say so. It's formulaic, that's true, but it's also fun, and if you've never played a Call of Duty game, this one is a pretty good intro to the series.

There's fun to be had for both veteran players and newbies alike. If you haven't played this one, then I'd say give it a shot and see what you think,